Weekly Feminist Happenings January 26th-February 1st

Tuesday, January 26th

EPA Coal Pollution Public Hearing: Dangerous pollution from coal-fired power plants threatens our clear skies, our lungs, and our livelihoods. Come to the EPA Public hearing on 1/26 for a rare chance to directly tell decision-makers to protect Utah’s clean air, public health, and recreation & tourism economy. Here in Utah, we pride ourselves on the beauty and sanctity of our world-renowned public lands and national parks. Much of our state’s economic well-being depends on protecting those natural assets for the benefit of our thriving recreation and tourism economy. Not to mention the fact that our National Parks, like Arches and Canyonlands, provide immeasurable benefit as places to realize the restorative and empowering quality of nature. Pollution, like hazardous nitrogen oxide from Utah’s Hunter and Huntington coal plants, covers those lands in haze and clogs our lungs. The Regional Haze Rule of the Clean Air Act is designed to protect our National Parks and wild places, and return them to “natural visibility” by 2060. Each state has the flexibility to design their own plan. Unfortunately, Utah’s proposed plan did not address a very important precurser to visible haze, nitrogen oxide (NOx), giving two of the state’s largest power plants a pass and not requiring any reductions in NOx…at all. Luckily, the EPA has the final say of whether or not to approve or supplant the State’s innadequate plan. On December 17th the EPA released their (much belated) Draft Regional Haze Plan for Utah. We at the Sierra Club, HEAL Utah, National Parks Conservation Asssociation and allies fought hard to ensure that the draft plan included an option to require the best available pollution controls for Utah’s dirtiest coal-fired power plants. EPA could not ignore the power of the thousands of citizens calling for strong protections, and thankfully included the desired control technology as an option in their draft plan. Now we need your voice and your help to ensure that the EPA will approve a FINAL Regional Haze plan that cuts dangerous coal-fired power plant pollution by up to 87%. On Tuesday, January 26, the EPA will be hosting a public hearing in Salt Lake City at the Main Library. This is your chance to tell that the EPA to require Rocky Mountain Power to clean up its coal-fired power plants and protect Utah’s wild places and public health! The proposed pollution controls, called Selective Catalytic Reduction, are widely implemented and now required at over 200 coal-fired power plants across the country. We know the Utility and special interests will be fighting hard to push back against installing these cost-effective, common-sense pollution controls. But, that’s because they value their shareholder’s profits over your family’s health and well-being. Tell the EPA that Utahns deserve a fair and strong regional haze rule, just like many of our Western neighbors. Don’t forget to mark your calendars for Tuesday 1/26! We’ll need to show up in force in force to seize this great opportunity to tell decision-makers to protect our parks, protect our health, and protect our recreation economy! Details: Email lindsay.beebe@sierraclub.org for more information. RSVP here! From 1:00-5:00 PM and 6:00-8:00 PM in the SLC Main Library (210 E 400 S, Level 4 Conference Room).

UCC World Affairs Lecture Series with Leif Wenar: For a generation, some of the money we’ve spent at the gas station and the mall has gone to empower the authoritarians and the armed groups that have given us our worst foreign-born crises. How can we get ourselves out of business with the hostile petrocrats and the violent extremists? Citizens, consumers and politicians can together lead a peaceful global resource revolution, which will make us more secure at home, more trusted abroad, and better able to solve pressing global problems like climate change. Visit utahdiplomacy.org for information. Details: From 7-8:30 p.m. at the Vieve Gore Concert Hall (1250 E. 1700 South, Salt Lake City).

Bystander Intervention Certificate: Attend our Bystander Intervention training to earn your Bystander Leadership certificate. The training is two hours and teaches students different skills and techniques to safely intervene before harm begins (prevention), during an incident (intervention), or after the incident has passed. We discuss consent and dedicate time to dispelling common rape myths and rape culture. We end by discussing common intervention scenarios designed to build confidence in your ability to help. Details: From 6-8 p.m. in the University of Utah Union. To register for our Bystander Intervention Certificate call the office at 801-581-7776 or email wellness@sa.utah.edu.

Saturday, January 30th

Breaking the Pipeline: The Racially Just Utah Coalition in collaboration with the ACLU, the Public Policy Clinic, UCASA, and several other community partners, invite you to join the first Train-The-Trainer Symposium on the School-to-Prison Pipeline (STPP). This symposium is geared towards parents, students, advocates, administrators, educators, and community members interested in dismantling the STPP, a trend that impacts our most vulnerable youth by pushing them out of school into the criminal justice system.

Our agenda includes conversations on race and systemic oppression, power and privilege, understanding the STPP, parent and student rights, and ways to get involved this legislative session in support of STPP bills. This will also provide participants an opportunity to build skills on how to facilitate dialogues on systemic discrimination and institutional oppression within your organizations and communities.

Details: From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Registration is required. Scholarships available for those financially in need. Please email STPP2016@gmail.com separately for more information.

Sunday, January 31st

Navajo Winter Stories: Traditionally, Winter Stories, games and songs are shared between the Navajo during the cold months when people stay indoors more. the Coyote and other animal stories are told for fun and for teachings. Often, Winter Stories are told about animals who are no around because they are hibernating. Everyone is welcome to come for this free, family-friendly evening of Navajo culture, stories, music and food. Details: Starts at 5 p.m. at Adopt A native Elder (328 W. Gregson Ave., Salt Lake City). Visit Adopt-A-Native-Elder for information.